AB named ODI Cricketer of the Year

ape Town – South Africa’s ODI captain AB de Villiers has been named as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second successive year.

He also won this award in 2010.

In the voting period, De Villiers scored 1 265 runs in 20 innings at an average of just over 79 and a strike-rate of 128.4.

He hit two centuries and nine half-centuries.

Earlier this month, de Villiers was named as the captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year.

A delighted de Villiers said: “It is an honour to be named as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2015. It’s certainly been a memorable year with many highlights but a lot of disappointments as well.

“If I was to look back, the century I scored against the West Indies at the Wanderers will probably go down as the most memorable knocks of the year. In saying that, centuries count for nothing if the team isn’t winning, so hopefully in the future I can contribute to many more Proteas wins.”

has won the ICC T20I Performance of the Year award for his 56-ball 119 against the West Indies in the second T20 in Johannesburg on January 11, 2015. Du Plessis had clubbed 11 fours and five sixes in his swashbuckling innings.

Reflecting on that innings, du Plessis said: “That was definitely one of the most exciting matches that I’ve been involved in as a T20 player. Even though I scored a century, I still ended up on the losing side, but it was special to be part of it all, the fans were given a treat with two centuries in a T20 match.

“I certainly felt ‘in the zone’ walking to the crease and luckily managed to middle most of the deliveries I faced after getting in in the first over. It was definitely a special innings, made even more special by the electric atmosphere at the Wanderers.”